Be primary to a regional firm rather than tertiary to a national powerhouse

Some general counsel subscribe to this view regarding their key law firm: “Our philosophy is we want to be one of the most important clients for the firm. A company our size [Coachmen Industries] isn’t that important to the mega-firms” (Richard Lavers, its general counsel, in Corp. Legal Times, July 2003).

If your revenue accounts for a significant portion of a law firm’s billings, or even the largest chunk of a major partner’s billings, you will be treated with respect, deference, and extra efforts. If the same amount of gold rarely gets caught in the sieve of a huge firm or a huge biller, your prospects will be much worse.